Doherty Employment Group is pleased to present this first-in-a-series of business articles. Employee motivation, performance and evaluation is a topic that is at the forefront of many of our clients' agendas this year. The article below sets out some guidelines for developing an effective employee motivation system and offers tips on how to apply those guidelines to a temporary workforce.  Enjoy!

Leaders often struggle to understand why their most talented and engaged employees lose motivation.  This paradox has been the subject of researchers from Clemson University and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C. Clemson professor Thomas W. Britt writes of his research in a recent issue of Harvard Business Review.

Britt studied the elite forces, those highly motivated, highly trained soldiers who are on the front edge of many U.S. military operations. Britt looked at the factors that motivated and the factors that demotivated these soldiers. Then he examined to see whether the same motivational forces applied off the battlefield.

What the studies found was that soldiers were frustrated when they could not do the job they were trained to do due to vague rules of engagement, little control, uncertain roles and a shifting mission. Simply put, the Army Rangers who cared the most about their work were the most demoralized when they were thwarted from doing their best.

Britt’s research did find parallels between the soldiers and the workforce. Studies have shown that employees who are most engaged in their work reported the lowest levels of job satisfaction when their work roles were ambiguous. Britt wrote, “There’s a common misconception that job engagement – high motivation to work - is a personality trait and that motivated people will throw themselves with equal enthusiasm in to pretty much any job. But research consistently shows that even the most committed employees will rapidly be demotivated if they cease to find their work meaningful or they can’t succeed at it. Thus, whether it’s a peacekeeping mission or a product launch, the people in charge need to be vigilant about removing obstacles impeding their most engaged employees – the very people whom they may think need the least help in staying motivated. For these high performers, factors they can’t control - role ambiguity, inadequate resources, and overwork itself – can hinder their best work and may ultimately drive them to seek jobs elsewhere. The ones who stay behind may well be the ones who just don’t care.”

Often, organizations put performance management systems in place with the hope of motivating employees using objectives and clear metrics of measurement. Instead, these studies suggest, the performance management system should appeal to the employees’ intrinsic motivating factors. Instead of focusing on rewarding production quotas and business unit goals, the measurement system should be steered to identify those intrinsic factors that motivate people: achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement and growth. Different personalities and life experiences, of course, will be motivated by different intrinsic factors.

In order to effectively motivate, managers need to step back from their own needs, objectives and assumptions and try to view the work environment and goals from the employee’s perspective. What drives this person? What are the needs that this person has? And, as Britt’s research shows, what factors may be blocking this employee’s growth? When the performance management system makes this turn and begins rewarding employees based on self-motivating factors, only then can it become an effective tool.

These same management principles can be applied to temporary or contract employees. First, ask your staffing supplier if they provide the performance management tools. You’ll also want to ask what screening tools the staffing agency uses to identify intrinsic factors. Are there standard tools in place? Will they develop custom tools for you? Or do you need to provide your own systems?

Second, make sure the temporary workforce has a clear understanding of their role. Upfront communication in a thorough and professional orientation will clarify the employee’s purpose and mission and help avoid frustration later on. 

Third, does your temporary workforce have a face-to-face connection with someone who can answer questions, support their needs and guide their performance? Does the staffing supplier have an on-site person to manage employees? If not, what is the level and frequency of communication between the staffing agency’s branch staff and the temporary employees?

Although these three components are fairly simple to implement, they are quite often missed as a result of too few resources or poor communication. However, with proper measurement tools, the establishment of clear expectations and personal communication, your front-line supervisors and the staffing agency will both develop more understanding of those intrinsic motivators that drive your temporary employees. The result is often lower turnover, better attendance, fewer errors, fewer safety violations, higher output and better control on wage and benefit increases.